Ruby Rose is complicated and frustrating. Weiss has spent a week showing up to flirt with her, and judging by the scarlet blush that still spreads across Ruby's cheeks each time, it's working. But Ruby always walks away, like she's not actually wrapped around Weiss's finger, and it's confusing. After the third time, Weiss gives up and decides to go for the unconventional route.

Ruby likes to eat her lunch in the library, or at least she does eat in the library, but Weiss can't see how she enjoys it. Weiss heads to the library, rather than head out for a smoke, to find Ruby. She's nested in a pile of cushions presumably from the library couches, holding a book bigger than her face.

She looks up as Weiss enters and Weiss grabs a random book off a shelf because she can't seem like she was deliberately looking for Ruby, because only someone desperate would do that. Wuthering Heights, which she's read twice already

"Hey," Weiss says. "Good book?"

Ruby nods and returns to it, not actually saying anything.

"It's a little rude to not even talk to me," Weiss purrs, kneeling so she's at Ruby's height.

Ruby glances up, swallowing.

"I know, just, Yang said people like you don't fall for people like me." Ruby's voice quavers. "She says you're just messing with me. Are you?"

She looks heartbroken at the mere suggestion. Weiss winces, because this is going to be a little more complicated than she'd anticipated. Ruby seems like the kind of person who would cry if someone led her on too much, and Weiss can't deal with people crying.

"Of course not," Weiss says, feeding as much sincerity into her voice as she can muster. She's a good liar. "Do you really think I'd do that to someone as – pretty, and smart, and kind as you?"

…

Ruby's heart stops.

Weiss is staring into her eyes, and just called her pretty, and smart, and kind, in a voice that's so gentle Ruby barely recognizes it. She's nursed a crush on Weiss for the better part of two years, because Weiss was so rebellious and devil-may-care, but now, seeing her be sincere like this? Ruby's head over heels.

Ruby tries to form a sentence, eventually coming out with "Um, i-is your book good?"

"It's not bad," Weiss says, shrugging. "But that's not important. Tell me about you."

…

Ruby launches into a long explanation of a robot she's building for a robotics competition, and ordinarily Weiss would be bored, but Ruby is so happy about drive trains and tank controls that Weiss finds herself listening, even if she doesn't understand it.

"So, anyway, the competition is next month, and I'm already in testing stages, so I think I'll do well. Maybe you can stop by and I'll show you how it works some time. I'm going to paint it, too, so it looks cooler." Ruby stops. "Was that too much? I kind of like robots."

Weiss has to smile at that.

"It's not too much," she says. "Just, aren't you worried about robots taking over the world or something?"

Ruby launches into another long, rambling speech about Isaac Asimov and how robots will have to be designed to be benevolent, and she is too fucking adorable for words. It wasn't long ago that Weiss would have made a stinging comment and walked away, or at least put up with it while mentally hating every word that came out of Ruby's mouth.

No, she's not, that would be ridiculous. She's grudgingly making friends, and the happy friendly personality she's trying to show Ruby is starting to rub off on her soul, or something. There are no real feelings involved here. None whatsoever.

Even if there were real feelings involved, that would be impossible, since when Ruby finds out that this whole thing is just a bet, she'll cry and never want to see Weiss again, and Yang will pick a fight with her, and so everything will go horribly wrong. It's for the best that Weiss isn't mentioning any of that.

The bell rings, and Ruby seems to snap out of her happy robot trance.

"I have to get going," she says, picking up her bag and standing up.

"Wait." Weiss grabs her wrist. "Would you like to get coffee after school's over?"

"Yes!" Ruby squeaks, then rushes away down the hall, a megawatt grin visible on her face.

At least Weiss is going to win that bet.

…

"She said she's not messing with me," Ruby insists, scowling at Yang. "Anyway, you don't get to control my life."

Yang sighs, then relents. Her little sis is going to kill her one of these days, but they love each other, and making mistakes is just part of growing up. It's Ruby's life, not hers.

"If Weiss makes you happy, I won't stop you," she says, quietly issuing a little prayer to any god who might be listening that Weiss is in fact being genuine. Yang just doesn't want her to get hurt.

"Really? You're the best!" Ruby throws her arms around Yang, then dashes away. "I'll get a ride back from Weiss! Don't wait for me!"

Yang stays worried through practice, then after when she heads out with her friends. She picks at her food, not really taking part in the conversation. Pyrrha takes a few minutes to notice, since Nora keeps up a constant stream of conversation regardless, but then she stops and looks at Yang, concern clear on her face.

"Yang, is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Yang mutters. "Why wouldn't everything be fine? Ruby just has a girlfriend who's going to break her heart, and I let her go see the girl. Nothing wrong whatsoever."

"Yang, I understand that you worry, but you have to let Ruby make her own decisions," Pyrrha says soothingly. "In the worst case scenario, she gets her heart broken, and there's no permanent damage."

"Well, excuse me for not trusting some Schnee girl to keep Ruby safe," Yang snaps.

"Oh, Yang …" Pyrrha's face softens. "That was years ago, and a different person. You can't make assumptions about the future based on the past."

"Ooh, what happened with a Schnee girl, and how did I miss it?" Nora asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Well, it was back in freshman year, before we were friends with you," Yang begins. "So, back then, I had a bit of a crush on that senior, Winter Schnee."

"A bit of a crush?" Pyrrha asks, snorting, then quiets when Yang glares at her. "Sorry, continue."

"And I was young and stupid, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring her flowers for Valentine's Day. I planned everything out. I asked her friends what kind of flowers she liked, stalked her for a week until I knew her class schedule, and then I walked up to her, so nervous I couldn't speak, and I gave her the flowers, and she threw them away. Took me two years to actually work up the courage to date someone after that."

"Mhm, wow, what a sad story. Can I have your fries?" Nora asks, and Yang wordlessly pushes them over. She doesn't feel like eating, not when Ruby might be in the same situation she was in years ago. New and alone and out of her element, pinning all her hopes on a girl who turned out to be – well, a Schnee.